Day 6 ~ Kitchen No. 324

16″ x 20″ oil on canvas

SOLD

I tweaked a little here and a little there…added some long twigs to the flowers…messed with the mirror, added highlights, but today I had such a hard time focusing on painting. I know I’m not alone in having those days… So, I’m calling it finished even though I know I’ll be going back to it again someday. Now for the story. Kitchen No. 324 is a restaurant in Oklahoma City.   I added a link in case you are interested in seeing their website. My mom, and I and my four daughters went to lunch one day and we were sitting, waiting for a table, right by a huge window that looks out onto the busy city street. Inside our view was what you have before you. Two lovely waitresses folding large white napkins. I love the neutral colors – grays and browns in the room, along with the gray aprons and light gray shirts. This is how I get inspired. As three generations sat at the table in the delightful atmosphere of this place and ate their wonderfully prepared meals, I could not get the picture out of my mind, so I searched through my purse and pulled out my camera and tried to get enough photos to help me paint. The girl with the stunning long braid was not available by then, so I had one of my daughters braid her hair and graciously let me use her as a model. My thoughts about this painting…Doing menial tasks like folding napkins, or washing dishes, or dusting seems like worthless chores…but they are not. There is a beauty in the simplicity of life that we are missing if we think these acts of servitude are not just as important as any job, perhaps even more important. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”  Matthew 23:11 I want this painting to portray that beauty.